A new record temperature was set on Wednesday in Greece in 2026, when the thermometers registered up to 43 degrees Celsius in some places in the country, after outdoor working bans were issued, as well as wildfire alerts.

According to the Hellenic National Meteorological Service, the highest temperatures will be recorded in Thessaly, eastern Greece and some parts of the Peloponnese. Civil protection agencies warned that the areas of Attica, central Greece and some parts of the Peloponnese are at the highest level of wildfire danger due to hot weather conditions, dry flora and wind.

According to Minister of Civil Protection Evangelos Tournas, the last day of the three-day heat wave is a high risk for fire and called upon people not to engage in any activity that could lead to a forest fire. Firefighters were on stand-by in vulnerable areas.

According to the labour ministry, working outdoors is banned between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. in areas where the highest temperatures will be felt. This regulation applies to workers in outdoor industries including construction, delivery service, and other manual professions.

The health services suggested that the elderly, children, pregnant women, and individuals with existing health issues should remain indoors during the hottest periods of the day. Additionally, all residents should be advised to drink enough water and refrain from going outdoors where necessary.

According to meteorologists, the current heat wave is occurring later in the season than it is normally observed in Greece. Although most European countries were experiencing extremely hot weather during early summer, Greece has a delayed onset of this season due to increased humidity levels and the northerly wind during June and most of July.

According to the Meteo service of the National Observatory of Athens, this is the third latest occurrence since 2011 when Greece registered air temperatures above 40 °C. Only two other later starts have been observed during 2013 and 2015.

The present heat wave comes after a number of weeks with high air temperatures in the south of Europe, during which several European countries have been suffering from wildfires and disruption. Greece has been a country prone to fires each summer due to hot and windy climate conditions.

The authorities stated that the temperatures will drop following the heat wave but added that the risk of fires may still be high in places where there is dry vegetation and strong winds. Fire services will be keeping an eye on things, whereas the civil protection officers have requested that the locals be aware and report any fire or smoke at once.